


Noah's Arf

by memitims



Category: As the World Turns
Genre: Alternate Universe, Fluff, Friendship, M/M, Middle School, Puppies
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-06-22
Updated: 2013-06-22
Packaged: 2017-12-15 19:12:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,012
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/853056
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/memitims/pseuds/memitims
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Luke's intrigued when a new boy transfers to his 7th grade class.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Noah's Arf

The cold winter breeze ruffled Luke’s golden hair and swept it across his forehead. Brushing the hair out of his eyes for what seemed like the millionth time, Luke slipped inside the huge brick building that trapped him for six hours a day, five hours a week. His mother had promised him a haircut this weekend, but Luke didn’t think he could handle another day of reading the chalkboard through strands of yellow. 

He rushed to Mrs. Berry’s classroom where most of his classes took place – besides science and math. Luke was certain that Mrs. Berry was the best 7th grade teacher in the school and he especially admired her enthusiasm towards the literature aspect of their lessons. 

Casey waved him over to their usual desks, his light brown hair even longer than Luke’s as it spilled over his ears and curled around his neck. Luke smiled at his best friend, who immediately launched into a rant about the lack of French fries in the school cafeteria. He shook his head knowingly, quite familiar with Casey’s non-stop discussions about food. 

The morning bell rang and Mrs. Berry shushed the class. They were studying the American Revolution for the seemingly 300th time in Luke’s educational life and he quite easily tuned out the lesson to focus on more important things – namely what movie he and his sister Faith were going to watch tonight. 

A soft knock on the classroom door startled Luke out of his daydreams. The old, wrinkled vice-principal entered the room with a tall, dark-haired boy in tow. Mrs. Berry and the V-P conversed in hushed tones, before he turned on his heel and strolled back out the door. Mrs. Berry smiled at the boy and gestured towards him.

“Class, we have a new addition. This is Noah Mayer and he just transferred here.”

A collective, out-of-sync “Hi” was directed towards him, but Noah’s eyes hands twiddled nervously, his eyes shifting around the room, but never actually looking at the class. Luke watched as Noah quickly made his way to the only open seat – a scratched out desk right in front of him and Casey. 

As Noah walked closer, Luke noticed that his eyes were really really blue. Never one to be shy, Luke shot him a huge smile, which grew larger when Noah returned his grin with a small smile of his own, before sliding into the empty desk.

For the rest of the class, Luke could barely contain his grin and felt tingly all over. He wasn’t quite sure why, but he had definitely started feeling a lot less bored when the new kid had walked in.  
The bus ride home was a lot longer than usual, thanks to some ill-timed construction. Casey didn’t ride the same bus as Luke, which meant that he usually sat and read his latest library book or one of his favorite classics. 

At his stop, Luke hopped off the bus and run up his driveway. Neither of his parents car’s where there, which meant no one was home. Luke didn’t mind though. His house was almost always filled with never ending noise, and it was a blessing to come home sometimes to peace and quiet. 

He kicked open the door and was immediately attacked by a flurry of black, white, and brown around his ankles. Luke’s dog Obi-Wan (he had a thing for Star Wars, especially since he shared a name with one of the protagonists) greeted him with a few barks and paws on his legs. Luke bent down to scratch his floppy black ears. Obi-Wan was a Bernese Mountain Dog puppy, all soft hair and big brown eyes and lovable energy. 

As Luke moved farther into the hallway, he noticed a dejected piece of red on the floor. It was a piece of rope, frayed and torn until it was almost unrecognizable. 

“Obi,” Luke sighed. “Do you need a new toy?”

Obi’s brown eyebrows raised and his ears perked up at his name. 

“Let’s go for a walk.”

Luke hardly ever ventured into town, even thought it was within walking distance. There wasn’t much there and his parents didn’t think he was quite old enough to be hanging around there by himself. However, he knew they wouldn’t mind if he walked Obi-Wan for a quick visit to the supermarket for a new toy. 

He grabbed his cell phone, Obi’s leash, and his wallet, and headed out the door towards town. The cold bit at Luke’s cheeks, causing them to flush a bright pink and he rubbed at them with icy fingertips. He could only tuck one hand in his jacket pocket at a time, thanks to Obi-Wan, so he constantly switched them to keep one from getting too cold. 

Luke headed towards the grocery store, when he noticed a small storefront that sported a window covered in blue paw prints. He glanced up at the sign above the doorway, which read “Noah’s Arf” in simple letters. Curious, Luke peered inside the window and noticed racks of leashes and bowls and toys. 

The door swung open with a jingle, and Luke stepped inside, tugging Obi behind him. The store appeared empty and Luke ventured into one of the short aisles that barely reached his shoulders. He picked up rope toy, but decided against it, considering the shape of the last one he had purchased. A timid voice startled him out of his deliberation, and Luke practically jumped.

“Hello?”

He whirled around to face the counter and peered over the aisle at a young boy with bright blue eyes. It was the new kid from his class today, his face twisted into a small smile. 

“Hi!” Luke brightened and stood up straighter. “You were in my class today. Noah, right?”

The boy nodded, his curly dark locks bouncing up and down. 

“Welcome to the Arf.”

His voice was even and mature, and not at all what Luke expected from someone his age. 

“I’m Lu–”

“Luke, I know.” Noah cut him off and his blue eyes twinkled with amusement. 

Luke broke into an embarrassed chuckle, but also enjoyed the warmth that spread through his body because the new boy knew his name.

“ Do you work here or something?”

“Yeah. My mom owns the place, but she makes me work on weekdays when I don’t have any homework.”

“I’ve never noticed it before. Is the store new?” Luke asked. 

“Relatively. Been here a couple months, but I just transferred to school here today. I went to a private school a couple towns over, but Oakdale Middle is much closer.”

Luke nodded, his mind bursting with questions for Noah, but his manners got the best of him. 

“It’s so cool to have a pet store-ish around here! I usually go to the supermarket for dog toys and stuff, but it’s always so cold in there. My mom usually buys new toys, but I got home today and my dog had completely destroyed his new one so I decided to take a walk. Plus, it’s really fun to get out of the house sometimes by myself because I didn’t used to be able to go anywhere I want and now my parents don’t care because I’m old enough. Which is really cool and–”

Luke realized he was rambling and began to blush profusely. 

“Sorry. I get a bit carried away sometimes.”

“A bit?” Noah teased, his lips sliding into a half-smile.

Luke just rolled his eyes and moved towards the counter sheepishly, pulling Obi-Wan from out behind the aisle.

“I hope you don’t mind that I brought Obi in here. I didn’t really want to leave him outside, because he could get stolen or something. That’s what my parents always say and I would hate to lose him.”

“It’s perfectly fine. We have dogs in here all the time. Did you say your dog’s name was Obi?”

Luke giggled and his blush deepened.

“Yeah, it’s Obi-Wan. I’ve always been a big fan of Star Wars.”

Noah raised his dark eyebrows. “That’s funny, because my dog’s name is Yoda.”

“Really?” Luke replied incredulously. 

The dark-haired boy nodded, his smile widening. 

“Cool!” exclaimed Luke. “Hey, wanna be friends?”

Noah nodded once again and Luke grinned at him with a huge smile that hurt his whole face. A sudden idea struck him and he moved up against the counter, leaning his elbows against the cool wood surface. 

“Wanna help me walk Obi-Wan?”

“Sure,” replied Noah. “Let me just go tell my mom.” He gestured towards the door behind him and reached for the doorknob.

Luke perused the aisles while he waited for Noah to return, admiring the large selection of dog toys that would no doubt keep Obi entertained for hours. The door clicked open and Noah emerged, a smile on his face.

“She said I could go.”

Luke clapped his hands together and moved towards Noah. 

“Then let’s go!”

He reached for Noah’s hand as the other boy stopped out from behind the counter. Luke pulled Noah towards the door in a flurry of energy, one of his hands entangled with Noah’s and the other tugging on Obi-Wan’s leash.  
Luke pushed the door open with his hip and the boys braved the cold winter weather together.

*

The park’s dark grass sparkled in the afternoon sunlight. The weekend had brought warmer temperatures and Casey and Luke decided to take advantage. They had played basketball since lunchtime, but now lounged on the lawn next to the basketball court with a bag of pretzels that Lily had insisted they bring with them. 

Luke dug his hand into the yellow and brown bag, giggling at Casey’s latest corny knock-knock joke, which he seemed to have an endless supply of. Casey grinned back, laughing a little himself. Luke’s laugh was infectious and still affected him, even after years of being best friends. 

Suddenly, Luke got serious and stopped munching on his handful of pretzels. He turned his eyes downwards and half-smiled, only one of his cheeks revealing their dimples. 

“Casey?”

“Mmm? came the reply through a mouthful of pretzels.

“Do you think anyone’s pretty?”

Casey glanced up at Luke, a sheepish look adorning his face. His eyes lit up as he imagined big brown doe-eyes and glossy brown hair.

“Yeah, Maddie.”

Luke nodded, thinking about the sweet girl in their class. She was really smart and always smiling. Last year, she had even been able to name the capitals of all the European countries. 

“What about you Luke?”

His heart sank and Luke glanced down at the ground. He fiddled his thumbs together, and scrunched up his eyes, lost in thought. Casey stared at him expectantly, wondering why his best friend was so quiet.  
Luke took a long breath, as if he was telling his deepest, innermost secret. To tell the truth, he probably was. 

“I think Noah’s really pretty,” whispered Luke, his quiet voice quivering and his eyebrows knitted together.

“I knew it!” Casey exclaimed, throwing his hands in the air. “Your face gets all goofy when you look at him or talk about him. Like when Holden looks at your mom!”

Luke blushed and his mouth spread into a small smile. However, he felt felt his eyes fill with tears and he looked up at Casey with shining hazel eyes.

“Thanks Casey.”

“For what?” Casey asked, confused and surprised at Luke’s reaction.

“For being such a great friend.” Luke smiled at him. Casey lifted his finger and Luke brought up his to link them together.

“Friends forever?” 

“Friends forever,” confirmed Luke with a watery grin.

*

On Monday morning, Luke’s class was engaged in a heated discussion about mummification in Ancient Egypt. Luke tuned out like usual, bored by anything that wasn’t about one of the books they were reading. He found a much more enjoyable pastime in staring at the back of Noah’s head, the jet-black hair curling perfectly around his neck. 

He imagined Noah turning around and passing him a note and they could discuss more interesting things than whatever the class was talking about. Luke really really liked talking to Noah, and he had made a habit of visiting his friend at the pet shop whenever he could. They always left the store to walk their dogs around town, talking about nothing and everything as most 7th graders do. 

Their dogs had taken an immediate liking to each other, despite their obvious size difference. Luke thought it was because of their names. Noah said it was just because they were well-trained. Sometimes, Noah was too smart for his own good. 

Luke was jolted out of his daze when Casey nudged him with his elbow. Luke snapped his gaze towards Casey and was treated with a classic Casey eye-roll. He raised his eyebrows and tilted his head towards Noah.  
“Stop staring,” whispered Casey. 

Luke giggled and rolled his eyes right back at his friend. 

“Like you don’t stare at Maddie all class,” he hissed quietly. 

Casey blushed and turned away, not ready to argue with Luke’s more than valid point. 

Luke shifted his eyes from Noah’s hair to the clock on the wall above Mrs. Berry’s desk. He breathed out a sigh of relief when he realized that the school day would be over in 10 minutes. It quickly shifted to a groan as he thought about his after-school plans. They were absolutely blank. Bo-ring. 

Suddenly, he was struck with a brilliant idea. He could invite Noah over! Perfect.

The bell interrupted his scheming and Luke waved goodbye to Casey as he hurried out the door after Noah. A little out of breath, he finally caught up and reached up to tap the boy on the shoulder. Noah whirled around and his face broke into a small smile when he saw Luke standing in front of him.

“Hey!” exclaimed Luke, returning Noah’s grin.

“Hi Luke. What’s up?”

Luke averted his eyes shyly, but refused to let himself get too nervous.

“I was wondering if you wanted to come over to my house this afternoon?”

Without missing a beat, Noah nodded and his smile widening. 

“I’d love to.”

“Great!” cried Luke, already reaching for Noah’s hand. Noah let himself be dragged behind Luke towards the buses, something he found happening a lot. He didn’t mind though. 

They settled in next to each other on the school bus, their jeans sliding on the rough brown material. Noah sat up tall and straight in the seat, his backpack settled neatly on the floor below his feet.

Luke laughed at the sight of his friend. 

“C’mon Noah! It’s much more fun to sit like this.”

Luke twisted in the seat, pushing his back up against the front of the seat and folding up his knees. Noah giggled, but his worry caught up with him. 

“Isn’t that dangerous?”

“Who cares?” Luke shrugged. “I do it all the time.”

Noah sighed and gave in, maneuvering around the seat to match Luke’s position. They laughed and talked about their plans for the afternoon the whole ride home. 

Both his parent’s cars were in the driveway and Luke positively buzzed with excitement at the prospect of introducing his new friend to his mom and dad. He pushed upon the door and found his parents reading the paper in the kitchen. 

Luke bounded up to his parents and started chattering rapidly. Noah hung back shyly in the doorway, his hands clasping and unclasping. 

“Luke honey, slow down,” laughed Lily.

He took a deep breath and started over.

“Mom, Dad, this is my friend Noah and he just transferred to my school and he loves Star Wars like me and even has a dog named Yoda, isn’t that cool? Also, he really likes movies and I hope we get to watch his favorite ones because they must be really good.”

Luke glanced at Noah and caught his small smile. Luke smiled right back and motioned for Noah to come into the kitchen and out of the door frame before turning back to his parents.

“His mom owns a dog shop in town and sometimes we go for walks with Obi and Yoda and they both get along really well. And he knows a ton about history and he’s even read To Kill a Mockingbird!”

By now, Noah was blushing and staring at the floor, but he tilted his head up when Lily addressed him.

“Nice to meet you Noah.” Lily and Holden smiled at him and Noah reached out to shake their hands.

“Nice to meet you too, Mr. and Mrs. Snyder.”

“It’s Lily and Holden, dear,” replied Lily. 

Luke rolled his eyes and tapped his foot impatiently.

“Let’s go Noah! We can go read my comic books.”

He dragged Noah up the stairs to his room, leaving Lily and Holden laughing quietly at the kitchen table. 

“Whew,” said Holden, a smile on his face. “I don’t think I’ve ever met a boy with as much energy as Luke.”

Lily laughed at her husband’s accurate assessment.

*

Weeks passed, and Luke spent a majority of his free afternoons rushing to “Noah’s Arf” after school to hang out with his friend. Luckily, Casey had soccer practice after school most days, so he wasn’t upset that Luke was spending so much time with Noah. 

The weather was getting colder and this meant less walks for Yoda and Obi-Wan. If the temperature was too low, Luke and Noah would find other ways to entertain themselves and the dogs inside the store. 

This particular afternoon, the boys had decided to pass on the walk and stay warm instead. Noah sat on a stool perched behind the counter and Luke was sprawled out on an armchair that Noah’s mom had dragged out of the back of the store for him. Obi was curled at his feet, his dark brown eyes squeezed shut. 

“I have to go to a wedding this weekend.” 

Noah broke the comfortable silence and Luke looked up from the cell phone he was texting on.

“Really? Who is it?”

“I don’t know. A friend of my mom’s or something.” Noah stuck out his tongue. 

Luke giggled at him. “Oh Noah, I’m sure it will be fun! Weddings are great. My family has one like every other week.”

Noah rolled his eyes. “You’re exaggerating. It’s more like once a month.” He couldn’t hold in the laugh anymore, and joined Luke’s giggles. 

Luke got serious and twisted in his chair to look at his friend.

“Seriously though, why don’t you want to go?”

The brunette fidgeted, his dark curls falling into his face. 

“I don’t know. I have to wear a suit and stuff.”

“What’s wrong with wearing a suit?”

“Aren’t they uncomfortable? Plus, what if I spill something on it? And what if it looks funny?”

“First of all, suits aren’t that bad. Secondly, you are the neatest person I know. And I think you’d look terrific in a suit.”

The last sentence escaped Luke’s mouth practically as a whisper, and he quickly averted his eyes from Noah’s bright blue ones. Both boys sported matching blushes at Luke’s statement, but Noah felt his heart fill with something other than embarrassment. 

“Thanks Luke,” said Noah quietly, a small smile creeping onto his face. Luke bravely returned his gaze with a similar grin. 

They returned to a state of comfortable silence after that. The only sound was the clacking of Luke’s cell phone keys and the occasional whimper from Obi or Yoda. 

After a few minutes, Noah broke the silence once again.

“Hey Luke? Do you think we could go on a walk after all?”

Luke nodded and reached for his winter coat that hung on the back of the armchair. Noah grabbed leashes for both of the dogs and began the task of rounding them up. When he succeeded, Luke grabbed Obi-Wan’s leash from Noah, their hands brushing for a beat longer than normal. 

The dead leaves flew into the air when Noah pushed open the door to the shop. Luke shivered slightly and slipped his gloves over his hands. They started on their normal route towards the center of Oakdale. The boys didn’t talk much, their mouths occupied by their chattering teeth. 

When they reached the fountain they always turned around at, Noah stopped abruptly. He tied Yoda to a nearby lamppost and shoved his hands into his pockets for some much-needed warmth. Luke huffed and rolled his eyes at his friend.

“Noah, come here.”

Noah obeyed and stepped towards Luke, removing his icy fingers from his pockets. Luke grabbed his hands and pulled him closer until they stood practically chest to chest. Suddenly, Noah had a really hard time breathing.

Luke enveloped Noah’s hands with his own gloved fingers, spreading warmth and feeling into them. Noah stared down at Luke’s warm brown eyes and he could feel his heart speed up dramatically. Luke gazed right back and his breath caught in his throat. For some reason, he stopped thinking completely and took the plunge.

Luke moved onto his tiptoes and pressed a soft kiss into Noah’s surprisingly warm cheek. Noah sighed gently and leaned into Luke’s touch. The blonde’s pale cheeks flushed and he pulled back, his eyes trained on Noah’s. Noah flashed him a small smile and removed his hands from Luke’s grip.

“Wanna head back now? I’m cold.”

*

“Noah!”

Noah felt a strong tug on his arm and turned to face the source of the voice. Casey Hughes removed his hand from Noah’s shoulder and crossed his arms together, his mouth twisted into a frown. 

“Casey?”

He knitted his eyebrows together in confusion as Luke’s best friend stepped closer, looking none too happy. 

“Why would you do that? Huh?”

Noah knew exactly what Casey was talking about, and his stomach twisted with nerves. Ever since that freezing afternoon, Noah had been avoiding Luke. It wasn’t that he didn’t want Luke to kiss him again. Just the thought of Luke’s pretty pink lips made his heart trip over itself. Noah was just afraid.

“Noah!” Casey’s voice shook him out of his thoughts. “You think it’s okay to just ignore Luke? Cuz I thought you guys were friends, and you don’t just start not talking to your friends out of the blue.”

Dark curls brushed across Noah’s forehead as he shook his head in response and looked down at his feet. 

“I think you have some explaining to do.”

“Wha–” Noah’s question was cut off when Casey grabbed him by the shoulder again and pulled him towards the direction of the school buses. 

Noah grumbled quietly in protest, but Casey was having none of it. He frantically searched the kids milling around the front of the school that were waiting for the school bus, trying to find the bright blonde head of his best friend. Casey finally spotted Luke near the steps, struggling with the zipper on his backpack while simultaneous attempting to untangle his mess of headphones. 

Casey tapped Luke on the shoulder and he looked up quickly, startled by the sudden interruption. Casey just raised his eyebrows in Noah’s direction and watched Luke try to hide how his eyes lit up by narrowing them. 

Noah felt Casey’s grip loosen and he was gently pushed forwards towards the boy who was currently glaring at him. He really missed Luke’s smile and he wanted it back on his face as soon as possible.  
He raised his eyes to meet the soft brown of Luke’s and smiled sheepishly.

“I’m sorry for ignoring you Luke. I was being stupid and I should have just talked to you and I shouldn’t have just freaked out. Because you’re the best friend I’ve ever had and I don’t want to lose you, okay?”

Luke’s steely resolve melted at Noah’s heartfelt words. He opened his eyes wider and the ghost of a smile appeared on his lips. 

“Promise you won’t try to avoid me again?”

“I promise.”

Luke’s smile was full-blown now and Noah couldn’t help but grin himself. He reached for Luke’s hand and tangled their fingers together, causing Luke’s smile to become even brighter than he thought possible.


End file.
